Arcane gunners are ranged warriors that specialize in crushing their foes with enchanted bullets. While not actually caster themselves, they are well versed in the Arcane and can borrow the magicks of allies, adding powerful spells to their bullets.
The arcane gunner is an archetype of the gunner class.
Class Skills
The arcane gunner loses Knowledge (Technology), but gains Knowledge (Arcana), and Use Magic Device as class skills.
Arcane Pool (Su)
At 2nd level, the arcane gunner gains a pool of magic energy from which he can draw his arcane arts from. The arcane gunner has a number of points equal to half his gunner level (minimum 1) + his Wisdom modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the arcane gunner rests for a full 8 hours.
At 2nd level, an arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any firearm he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 2nd the firearm gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. These bonuses can be added to the firearm, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.
An arcane gunner can only enhance one firearm in this way at one time. If he uses this ability again, the first use immediately ends.
This ability replaces nimble.
Arcane Gunnery (Su)
As he gains levels, an arcane gunner learns how to imbue his bullets with magic energies. Starting at 2nd level, an arcane gunner gains one arcane gunnery or gunnery talent. He gains an additional arcane gunnery for every two levels of gunner attained after 2nd level. An arcane gunner cannot select a particular arcane gunnery more than once.
Addling Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 3 points from his arcane pool to make a single attack at his highest base attack bonus against a creature within the first range increment of his firearm. If the attack hits, it deals normal damage, and the target makes a Will save. Targets that fail the save are Addled for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier. (Addle disallows the use of supernatural abilities for the duration.) Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 12th level to select this gunnery.
Anti-Magic Shot (Su): As an immediate action, when the arcane gunner is the target of a single target spell, he may expend 2 points from his arcane pool to attempt to counter the spell with a magic imbued bullet. The arcane gunner makes an attack at his highest base attack bonus against DC (15 + double the spell’s level + caster’s primary casting modifier). If he succeeds, he nullifies all effects the spell would have had on him. If he fails, he is hit by the spell and gets no saving throw. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 8th level and have the Spell Shot arcane gunnery to select this gunnery.
Arcane Redoubt (Su): As a swift action, the arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool to treat his armor bonus to AC (including any enhancement bonus) as a bonus to touch AC until the beginning of his next turn. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 8th level to select this gunnery.
Arcane Shield (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as an immediate action to grant himself a shield bonus to AC equal to his Wisdom modifier until the end of his next turn.
Arcane Shots (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant himself a competence bonus equal to his Wisdom modifier on all ranged attack and damage rolls until the end of his turn. Attacks made with arcane shots ignore 1 point of damage reduction per four gunner levels.
Arcane Volley (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 3 points from his arcane pool as a full-round action, making a single firearm attack against any number of creatures in a 20-foot-radius burst, dealing his weapon damage + 1d6 additional damage per four gunner levels. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) halves the damage. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 12th level and have the Forking Shot arcane gunnery to select this gunnery.
Bomb Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 2 points from his arcane pool to make an attack against a single target within the first range increment of his firearm. On the target’s turn after being hit, the bullet explodes dealing 2d6 non-elemental damage to the target and all creatures in a 10-ft.-radius of the explosion. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) halves the damage. This damage increases by 2d6 for every two levels after 8th level. Bomb shot can be modified by elemental bullets. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 8th level and have the Elemental Bullets arcane gunnery to select this gunnery.
Dispelling Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can spend 1 or more points from his arcane pool as a swift action to imbue his bullets with a special power. If the bullets strike a creature within the next minute, that creature is the subject of a targeted dispel using the arcane gunner’s level as the caster level, except that this effect cannot dispel a spell of a level higher than the number of arcane pool points expended to activate this ability (treat higher-level spells as if they do not exist and apply the dispel attempt to the remaining spells with the highest caster level). Once an attack is made, the power dissipates, even if the dispel attempt is unsuccessful. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 12th level and have the Spell Shot arcane gunnery to select this gunnery.
Elemental Bullets (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to change the damage of a firearm he is wielding to an element of his choice, until the end of his turn.
Forking Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 2 points from his arcane pool to fire a single bullet that splits into a multitude of bullets. The arcane gunner deals his weapon damage, adding his Wisdom modifier as bonus damage, in a 30-ft.-cone. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) halves the damage. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 8th level to select this gunnery.
Guided Bullets (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as an immediate action upon missing an attack on a single target to change the path of his bullet forcing it to hit. Guided bullets cannot deal critical hits.
Hemorrhage (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to imbue his bullets until the end of his turn, making them cause bleed damage equal to 3 times his Wisdom modifier, for 2d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) stops the bleeding. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 12th level to select this gunnery.
Leeching Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 1 points from his arcane pool to make a single attack at his highest base attack bonus against an enemy within the first range increment of his firearm. If he hits, he deals normal damage, and is healed for half of his weapon damage.
Magical Renewal (Ex): As an immediate action, when hit by a damaging spell, if the arcane gunner is missing points from his arcane pool, he can absorb some of the magic, adding it back into his arcane pool. When using this ability, the arcane gunner regains 1 arcane pool point. At 8th level, he regains 2 points, and at 12th level, he regains 3 points. If the damage from the spell would drop him to 0 HP or less, he cannot use this ability.
Spell Shot (Su): As a move action, the arcane gunner can spend a number of arcane pool points equal to half the spell’s level rounded up (minimum 1), to add the effect of a single target spell, which must be a standard action or less, from a willing ally’s spell list to his next single ranged attack. If the attack hits, it deals normal damage + the effect of the borrowed spell. The spell functions off of the caster’s level and casting modifier, but uses the DC for arcane volley as its save DC. The arcane gunner can only borrow spells from an ally he has sight of within 15 feet. The spell persists on his bullet for 1 minute, or until he attempts a single ranged attack. Spell Shot does not suffer spell failure, however if the caster that the spell is borrowed from has spell failure, that chance is applied when attaching the spell to the bullet. If the spell fails, the arcane gunner still expends arcane pool points. (Healing spells cause the bullet to deal no damage, unless against an undead target.)
Taxing Shot (Su): The arcane gunner can expend 2 points from his arcane pool to make an attack against a single target within the first range increment of his firearm at his highest base attack bonus. If he hits, the arcane gunner deals normal damage and also deals half of his damage to the target’s MP. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) halves the damage to MP. Prerequisite: The arcane gunner must be at least 8th level and have the Leeching Shot arcane gunnery to select this gunnery.
This ability may replace gunnery talents.
Arcane Potency (Ex)
At 13th level, the arcane gunner has learned to increase the effectiveness of his Arcane gunneries. Once per day, as a free action, the arcane gunner can add twice his Wisdom modifier to the DC of his next arcane gunnery. He gains an additional use of Arcane Potency at 16th level, and one more at 20th level.
This ability replaces evasive gunner.
Withering Shots (Ex)
At 15th level, the arcane gunner’s proficiency with magic makes him capable of inflicting untold agony on his enemies. Whenever he makes a successful ranged attack with a firearm against a creature, he gains an insight bonus to his damage rolls against the same creature equal to his Wisdom modifier, at the beginning of his next turn. This bonus stacks with itself up to 3 times, and persists until the arcane gunner misses an attack. Withering Shots does not apply on his arcane gunneries. The arcane gunner can only gain 1 stack per round.
This ability replaces menacing shot.
Unstoppable Shot (Ex)
At 17th level, a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier, the arcane gunner can, as a full round action, fire a bullet with devastating force. The bullet travels in a straight line for a distance equal to the first range increment on his firearm, piercing through creatures and objects in its path. Creatures struck take his firearm damage + additional damage equal to half his gunner level. In addition, the arcane gunner may make a sunder combat maneuver on each creature that was struck, taking a –2 on each attempt after the first. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the gunner’s level + his Dexterity modifier) negates the sunder attempts and additional damage. The range of the bullet decreases by 10 feet for each creature or object it passes through.
This ability replaces penetrating shot.